Wonder not, sovran Mistress, if perhaps
Thou st, who art sole Wonder, much less arm
Thy looks, the Heavn of mildness, with disdain,
Displeasd that I approach thee thus, and gaze [ 535 ]
Insatiate, I thus single, nor have feard
Thy awful brow, more awful thus retird.
Fairest resemblance of thy Maker faire,
Thee all things living gaze on, all things thine
By gift, and thy Celestial Beautie adore [ 540 ]
With ravishment beheld, there best beheld
Where universally admird; but here
In this enclosure wild, these Beasts among,
Beholders rude, and shallow to dise
Half what in thee is fair, one man except, [ 545 ]
Who sees thee? (and what is one?) who shouldst be seen
A Goddess among Gods, adord and servd
By Angels numberless, thy daily Train.
So glozd the Tempter, and his Proem tund;
Into the Heart of Eve his words made way, [ 550 ]
Though at the voice much marveling; at length
Not unamazd she thus in answer spake.
What may this mean? Language of Man pronounct
By Tongue of Brute, and human sense exprest?
The first at lest of these I thought denid [ 555 ]
To Beasts, whom God on thir Creation-Day
Created mute to all articulat sound;
The latter I demurre, for in thir looks
Much reason, and in thir as oft appeers.
Thee, Serpent, suttlest beast of all the field [ 560 ]
I knew, but not with human voidud;
Redouble then this miracle, and say,
How camst thou speakable of mute, and how
To me so friendly grown above the rest
Of brutal kind, that daily are in sight? [ 565 ]
Say, for such wonder claims attention due.
To whom the guileful Tempter thus replyd.
Empress of this fair World, resple Eve,
Easie to mee it is to tell thee all
What thou andst and right thou shouldst be obeyd: [ 570 ]
I was at first as other Beasts that graze
The trodden Herb, of abject thoughts and low,
As was my food, nht but food disd
Or Sex, and apprehended nothing high:
Till on a day roaving the field, I cd [ 575 ]
A goodly Tree farr distant to behold
Loaden with fruit of fairest colours mixt,
Ruddie and Gold: I nearer drew to gaze;
When from the boughes a savorie odour blown,
Grateful to appetite, more pleasd my sense, [ 580 ]
Then smell of sweetest Fenel or the Teats
Of Ewe oat dropping with Milk at Eevn,
Unsuckt of Lamb or Kid, that tend thir play.